Ngee Ann Primary

[3bagsfull]

Anyone knows how their sch bus operate? What kind of bus/van they use? Are the buses/vans fitted with safety belts already?


I ask because I would most likely need to get the sch bus to send the fella home as I wld be working when the sch ends.

In the morning, I plan to drop him off to sch before I head to office. Someone told me that even if I need only the return leg, i wld hv to pay for both to and from journey if i wanna take the sch bus.

Any existing parents can advise pls?

TIA

[KingRascal]

My son is currently with the school bus. I believe they follow the regulation stated by LTA which does not require seat belt to be installed if it's below a certain number of seats (cnt rem the number). So my son's bus falls under that number, thus it does not have one too. Initially I had reservation, but after talking to the bus operator, I felt reassured of the driver's patience and track records.


It's a trade off. NA has alot of smaller buses, and I was told this would ensure the rides are not too long and the students get to reach home fast.

Maybe you have a word with the bus operator that plies along your house to find out more. My son's been with the bus since March and all are well.

Bus fare - ya, it's standard that single trip costs as much as the 2-way trip. Rule of thumb - single trip is about 80% of 2-way trip. Still that did not stop me from putting my son on single trip (just the return trip). My husband likes to send him to school in the morning as they can chat along the way, and he has a slightly longer time in bed

[3bagsfull]

Thanks Japhys for the details.


Just wondering, how does your kid cope with school? Is it a stressfull environment? Any problems of bullies?

I went there twice myself, once during its open day and once on the date of P2C registration.

Generally I saw that the kids are well-behaved but not sure if it's really the case throughout.

TIA

[KingRascal]

Generally he copes very well with the school. I have no complaints over the support they provide the children to settle down. Alot of parents were mobilised on the first 2 weeks to help the Primary 1s. Don't be surprise when you are not allowed to follow your child into the school compound right from Day1. They believe that parents' presence at the assembly hall or even outside the classrooms (which happen to many other schools), would cause anxiety to those pupils who did not have the luxury of having their parents there.


However I believed my son was in safe hands as a PSG member held his hand and led him to the assembly place

Yes, on the whole, I think the school's children are rather well-behaved. We cannot expect a perfect environment so the occasional incidents of bullying we hear of is normal. They have a very strict team of Operation Management, who controls the discipline around the school. They would constantly patrol and control rowdy play. I also felt safe to let me P1 boy cross the zebra crossing outside the school every morning when my husband drops him across the road. A very dedicated staff would be there controlling the traffic. He's an icon there.

Academic aspect - Hmm, it depends on your expectation. It's something that is very subjective. There would be a mix of parents who felt that the standard is good enough, and others who feel it should and could be better. It's not easy for me to generalise. Since your child is already committed there, I'll leave it to you to assess Do get contacts among the new P1s, as it's often useful to compare notes among the classes, to see if you are happy with what your child is getting from his/her class teachers...as most of the time it very much depends on the teachers' influence...

[3bagsfull]

Thanks for sharing.


Who knows, maybe on the first day of sch, u wld be the parent volunteer holding my boy's hand leading him to the assembly area

Actually this whole P1 episode is very exciting to me. I am waiting for all the milestones to unfold now.

[June]

Bus fare - ya, it's standard that single trip costs as much as the 2-way trip. Rule of thumb - single trip is about 80% of 2-way trip. Still that did not stop me from putting my son on single trip (just the return trip). My husband likes to send him to school in the morning as they can chat along the way, and he has a slightly longer time in bed ;)[/quote]


japhys: do you know how much the bus fare are on monthly basis, average?

[KingRascal]

I pay $55 for single trip. $65 for 2-way. It's considered rather low. NA has many bus operators thus they are competitive. I do know buses with CHIJ Katong charges almost $90 for 2-way and the gal stays very near my place.


Hi 3bagsfull, do let me know if you need further clarifications. Would be glad to answer if I can.

[June]

japhys:

I pay $55 for single trip. $65 for 2-way. It's considered rather low. NA has many bus operators thus they are competitive. I do know buses with CHIJ Katong charges almost $90 for 2-way and the gal stays very near my place.


Hi 3bagsfull, do let me know if you need further clarifications. Would be glad to answer if I can.

Thanks Thanks, that's a good indication...most of the bus operators uses vans right? Do you happen to know which bus operators operate via route?

[KingRascal]

Oops, sorry I don't. Cos my neighbour happened to have placed his son in the same school bus so I did not need to check out the other buses


Normally the children would board the bus 15min after school lessons end.

Yes, first day of school was exciting. Alot of us loitered outside the side gate though we were not able to see them anymore after a while. Some parents even brought video cam!!

It was also possible that you bump into friends you know. I did.

[June]

japhys haha next year u will see me kan jiong and kiasu peeping too In fact during the registration i bump into my ex colleague wor.


No worries on the school bus will find out more from the school. Do they have test and spelling on a weekly?